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Ozymandia Titanius II
"...you '''do' want to fight for your kingdom, yes? Or would you rather be fighting for other things?" '' -Ozymandia, to Hadrianus Ozymandia Titanius the Second, formerly Hilda Califur, is the current empress of Magna Roma, and the third ruling figure to take the Roman throne. Ozymandia is equal parts proud and paranoid, showing pride for her kingdom and also being overly cautious about potential dissent in her empire. It is to this end that she has earned the nickname of The Recluse, and she rarely leaves her castle upon the slope of Mount Arokti; the Pearl Palace. Biography Birth and Duty Born as Hilda Califur, she grew up in a life of obscurity in the distance mountain village of Nascartes. Much of Hilda's early life and upbringing was uninteresting; Hilda had been born to a peasant family, who often only worked on a farm for most of their days. It is worthy of note that due to unforeseen circumstances, either an invading army or famine, much of the population of Nascartes died. With only a mother and father to speak of, they had both died in whatever events ensued that day. Hilda was eventually found by a passing patrol, only 7 years of age. Hilda was relocated to the kingdom capital, Cartheginesis, where she was to be raised by a noble family. The story went that the matriarch of the family could not bare any children, and it was most fortuitous for them that they had this opportunity. The child could barely speak, or refused to; she seemed frightened of her adoptive parents. They were unnecessarily strict with her, something widely different from her upbringings on the rural farms. Since she rarely spoke, her adoptive parents had assumed that she had no name. It was either that, or they simply hadn't cared about her previous name, and gave her a new one. Hilda Califur was known as Ozymandia Titanius from that day forth. Due to the reigning emperor's death, Magna Roma suddenly found itself without a ruler. The emperor had no heirs, due to being impotent. Thus, succession fell upon the closest members of court; trusted friends, allies and advisers. There was no closer friend than the Titanius family, and Julihar ascended to the throne in 2186 AD. Ozymandia became a member of the royal family because of this, and her entire personality shifted due to constant peer pressure and being in the presence of nobility. Ascension to the Throne Julihar's reign as emperor continued unabated for 26 years, until his untimely death in 2212 AD. With no immediate male successor available, Ozymandia became the first female ruler to ever come to power in Magna Roma. As empress, Magna Roma led a fruitful existence for the following 6 years. Ozymandia had not been in power for very long, and little changed because of it. The status quo remained; Magna Roma continued its existence as a known superpower, and became known for their beautiful empress. It was worthy of note that the New Roman Empire was well known for their attractive people, and none more so than the empress. Having been groomed since her adoption, Ozymandia knew that appearances meant everything. Stable relationships with neighboring kingdoms soon followed. Ozymandia's role in the first Sapphirian/Rubidian War was surprisingly limited. Ozymandia was the face of the empire, but Albus was the military. While Ozymandia provided morale and often lauded the many victories of the empire, it was mostly Albus who conducted military exploits in foreign regions. Though the war would ultimately be rendered moot, due to being nothing more than a gambit contrived by Jasper, the Romans saw no such triviality and were praised as heroes upon their return. Ozymandia would not see true involvement until the following war, in 2218 AD. The Blue War Upon Jasper's return from his prison, it was immediately apparent that war was looming once more. The forces of Magna Roma had already prepared themselves for the possibility of it, with Ozymandia personally seeking out able talent. Her ear caught wind of a powerful combatant who had been dominating the arena of Telum Dei for weeks, and Ozymandia had to witness this for herself. She arrived days later, just in time for one of the weekly spectated fights. The man in question exhibited raw power as he effortlessly slaughtered numerous opponents, coming out only slightly winded. Ozymandia was impressed, to say the least; she announced her presence, and invited the champion to the kingdom's capital. The meeting would take places days later, as the distance between Telum Dei and Cartheginesis was quite long, full of uneven terrain. Appearing before the empress, the man was named Titus Aquillius; he had been a former nobody from one of the countryside villages, but sought honor through battle in the colosseum. Ozymandia wasted little time with recruiting the man, hoping to see his skills properly displayed in battle. Titus seemed to have no qualms with such ventures, and graciously accepted an opportunity to become part of the Roman Militia. Little did either of them know, the battle that Titus would participate in was completely unsanctioned by Jasper, and the Red Lord was a fickle being. Nothing suggested this, and the battle ended in failure after their forces were sidelined by a previously unknown third party. Ozymandia thought nothing of it, as it hadn't been her concerned. She did, however, become a bit more paranoid upon learning that Jasper had become quite upset about said results. According to Albus, Jasper had considered it treason that the attack was carried out; this was against Jasper's orders, as he had said specifically said not to attack Sapphiria again. Her fears were realized when a dangerous being entered the field; it had been none other than the legendary General Ozark, who was infamous in their exploits throughout the history of Rubidia. Seeing the black knight approach, Ozymandia's immediate thoughts were that Jasper had sent his strongest soldier in an attempt to assassinate the empress. Who would stop them? Most were afraid of the stories, and dared not even lift a finger in protest. Ozymandia was ready to accept her fate, but it never came. Ozark came and left, leaving only a handwritten note behind. Despite Jasper's disappointment, he had sent Ozark to relay Magna Roma with one last chance; they would attack Sapphiria again, and take over one of their cities to establish a foothold. Once again, Ozymandia sought to recruit more able-bodied soldiers to the war effort. This time, her sights had been set on Titus' cousin, Hadrianus. The man was just as proud of his country as Titus was; to Rome, honor and glory were among the highest accolades one could ever achieve. It was a hallmark; something tangible to reach, and undoubtedly cement themselves in history as a hero to their empire. Ozymandia spoke of such things when pitching the following attack, offering both Hadrianus and the absent Titus a more permanent role within the military. Despite wandering eyes-- and who could blame him, as the empress was quite beautiful-- Hadrianus seemed excited to be able to take what he believed to be his rightful place, on the front lines of battle. A sudden and unexpected appearance from Albus mostly had confirmed the empress' words; that, and the Roman God himself was going to participate in this battle. While the forces prepared to move on Sapphiria, Ozymandia continued to maintain her empire in the meanwhile. Albus' Funeral With the news that Albus had died in the war, days passed before they were able to return his body to Rome. Ozymandia was crushed by the news, but knew that her people would still need their leader in these trying times. Upon the Roman Legion's return from the war front, plans began to send off their god with the utmost respect. A funeral was held at the height of Cartheginesis, within the old temple that had once been host to a shrine of Jasper. Hadrianus was there as well, having returned with the ships as he had been present at the battle where Albus was slain. With him, he brought further news, something that no one else knew. Pulling Ozymandia off to the side, the truth was revealed; Jasper had killed Albus. The revelation was unsurprising to her, and she smiled for the first time in weeks when she realized that Albus had died to defend their ideals. It had seemed that the Eastern Queen had come as well to pay her respects, and despite Hadrianus' initial hostility, Ozymandia welcomed her. With the war over and Jasper dead, perhaps it was time for the two nations to overcome their bloody past and band together for the future. Ozymandia bid farewell to the queen, beckoning Hadrianus to finish the funeral with her. After giving a moving eulogy, Ozymandia offered Hadrianus the chance to set the pyre aflame. The Queen of Rome gave a passing phrase in Latin, sending off their god into the afterlife. Appearance In a kingdom full of muscular athletes and exotic dancers, Ozymandia is considered one of the more attractive members of Roman society; a thought made even more apparent due to her status as empress. Ozymandia is a pale-skinned woman in her late 30's, with raven black hair and brown eyes. Alike any of royalty, Ozymandia often wears jewelry at least somewhere on her body; this could include jeweled bracelets, necklaces, rings, though the one static fixture of her attire is her crown. She wears black leather gloves that reach up to her biceps, and long, black boots that reach up to her thighs. Though it will tend to change color depending on her mood, Ozymandia wears a low-cut dress that is surprisingly thin, and accentuates her body shape quite well. Personality Ozymandia's most notable personality quirks boil down to two terms: pride and paranoia. The empress feels proud of what her kingdom has become, after many years of languishing under poor management and civil struggles. Now less so, she focuses her efforts on the day-to-day of the empire, making sure everything runs ever so smoothly. She loves her people, and would do almost anything to ensure the continued happiness of her subjects. That said, rumors of discontent among the populace have left the empress increasingly wary of her peers. While she does hold pride for her kingdom, she rarely leaves her palace quarters. Ozymandia is usually under watch by her Praetorian Guard, who monitor the palace halls 24/7. Abilities Ozymandia has no combat abilities to speak of, as her talent lies in her ability to rule. Though she isn't exactly considered to be the best leader that Magna Roma has had, she has still been able to apply a firm rule to Rome and keep order on a consistent basis. As a normal human, all of Ozymandia's skills are average at best. As with most educated Romans, Ozymandia speaks fluent Latin and English. Relationships Albus Alike any god, Ozymandia recognizes the true authority of her empire. More or less, while Ozymandia rules over Magna Roma as a mortal, Albus is free to dispense justice with the full might of the Roman Army at his back. Ozymandia respects her god, believing just as much that order is necessary to maintain a stable empire. The Magna Roman Empire is all the better for it as well; crime rates are especially low. Ozymandia maintains these strict laws and ensures that Magna Roma will survive and thrive. Though the two do not come in contact too often, the feeling is mutual. Albus trusts Ozymandia to rule the empire, thankful that he need not intervene more than he has to. Category:Characters Category:Rubidian Empire Category:Native